MMA News

Tom Taylor - May 3, 2018

Former welterweight Kelvin Gastelum is now firmly embedded as a member of the UFC middleweight roster, having earned the number-five spot in the divisional rankings. The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner’s next middleweight bout will occur at UFC 224 this May 12, when he takes on Brazilian grappling ace Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in a fight that could well produce the division’s next title contender.

Nick Nadel - May 3, 2018

Part five in a series celebrating badassery in film and TV Some of the best martial arts movies combine thrilling combat with fantastical elements often derived from Asian mythology. (What’s better than a powerful punch? A punch that’s also a lightning blast!)

Tom Taylor - May 3, 2018

Back in March, on the undercard of UFC 222, BJJ star Mackenzie Dern made a successful UFC debut, defeating a tough Ashley Yoder by decision. Shortly after this first Octagon win, she was asked to leave her long-time gym, Arizona’s MMA Lab. “In relation with the Lab, after my last fight, Coach [John] Crouch, he just invited me to leave the team,” Dern said at a media luncheon promoting her UFC 224 fight with Amanda Bobby Cooper (transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting). “I think really we don’t have a 100-percent understanding. I think he knows his decisions more than me. I think with just the consistency, he wanted me to be there more often than what I was, but everything happens for a reason.”

Tom Taylor - May 3, 2018

Though Brazil’s Edson Barboza remains one of the world’s very best lightweights, his last two bouts have not gone as he planned. First, Khabib Nurmagomedov bludgeoned him to a unanimous decision victory in December. Then, in April, he experienced a similar loss at the hands of Kevin Lee, who thrashed him to a doctor stoppage. Despite these concussive losses, throughout which he absorbed nearly 400 strikes, Barboza does not plan on taking any time off. Instead, the fearsome knockout artist hopes to return to the Octagon as soon as possible.

Drake Riggs - May 2, 2018

When it comes to the top 145-pound fighters on the planet, there’s only one that’s better than Brian Ortega…and that might not even be the case come July. Once upon a time, a brash and outspoken Irishman stood atop this division as some may have forgotten. It feels like so long ago that he made the 145-pound limit…

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the UFC’s July 28 return to Calgary, Alberta, Canada could be topped by a rematch between surging lightweight contender Dustin Poirier and former champion Eddie Alvarez. Shortly after the reports of this rematch surfaced, Eddie Alvarez assured Ariel Helwani that the fight is “not fucking happening” and that he won’t be fighting until the UFC offers him a new contract first.

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

Last weekend, in the main event of Bellator 198, heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko picked up one if his best wins in ages, putting former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir down with first-round punches. In this win, Emelianenko showed flashes of the brilliance he was famous for at the height of his reign as the world’s best heavyweight. In the opinion of UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, however, Emelianenko’s heyday might have been marred by performance-enhancing drug use. In Rogan’s eyes, it’s “suspicious” how Emelianenko’s success seemed to dwindle when he began fighting outside of Japan, where drug-testing is more stringent.

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

When Gunnar Nelson was forced out of his UFC Liverpool co-main event showdown with Neil Magny, sixth-ranked UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal offered to step in and replace him. He only asked that this short-notice bout with Magny be contested at a 180-pound catchweight, as he wouldn’t be able to make the welterweight division’s 170-pound limit in time for the card. “My manager told me about [Nelson’s withdrawal,] and he was like ‘hey man, here’s your chance to smash Magny,’ cause he knows I don’t like Magny one bit,” Masvidal told BJPenn.com’s Jason Kindschy on Tuesday. “So he offered it to me, and he was like ‘what do you think?’ We’ll make it at a catchweight, cause I’m a little heavier right now.”

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

Back in February, referee Mario Yamasaki allowed top flyweight contender Valentina Shevchenko to bludgeon a grossly outmatched Priscila Cachoeira for far longer than he should have. This egregious officiating blunder sparked outrage from many members of the MMA community, including UFC President Dana White, who assured he’d do everything he could to assure Yamasaki never refereed again. In the wake of this backlash, the referee — who has received blowback for similar incidents in the past — defended his work, assuring he was just allowing Cachoeira to “be a warrior.”

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

Dillon Danis, a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and a training partner of Conor McGregor, has always received his fair-share of hate. Now that he’s made his successful MMA debut, a first-round submission of Kyle Walker at Bellator 198, the backlash that the brash BJJ player is receiving has surged to new heights. One of the latest fighters to go after Danis is UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta, who recently came up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov in a last-minute lightweight title fight. Iaquinta dissed Danis on Twitter, saying that he hopes former Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler gets his hands on him.

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

Last weekend, Bellator touched down in Chicago, Illinois with the exciting Bellator 198 card. One of the most talked about features of the main card was the MMA debut of Dillon Danis, an accomplished jiu jitsu practitioner who has recently risen to prominence for his role in Conor McGregor‘s camp. Danis would win this fight, which pitted him against 2-4 fighter Kyle Walker, with a slick, first-round toehold.  While Danis looked solid in his MMA debut, many onlookers have been turned off by the way he seems to mimic McGregor’s shtick. You can file former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping into that group.

Tom Taylor - May 2, 2018

There was a time not all that long ago that Johny Hendricks was considered the best welterweight on the planet. Unfortunately, his career has taken a rather grim turn, and he’s now a tough 3-7 in his last 10 bouts. Not even a move to the middleweight division, where the weight cut is less taxing, could bring him renewed success. After his last loss, a knockout at the hands of surging middleweight contender Paulo Costa, Hendricks became a free agent. And though he could surely find a home as a member of the Bellator or PFL rosters, he’s hoping to return to the UFC welterweight division, where he once medalled. Apparently, this is something the UFC is also interested in.

Drake Riggs - May 1, 2018

UFC on Fox 30 is starting to really shape up. And it looks like it could be a showcase for some of the women’s division’s best. After reports that the UFC is working to set up their flyweight champion, Nicco Montano’s first title defense against Valentina Shevchenko as the card’s main event, we have now learned that another high profile female bout has become official before that one.

Tom Taylor - May 1, 2018

Late last week the UFC’s May 27 debut in Liverpool lost its compelling welterweight co-main event, as Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson was forced out of his fight with Neil Magny with an injury. The good news is that sixth-ranked UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal is angling to step in and replace Nelson, provided Magny agrees to 180-pound catchweight bout. Ariel Helwani was first to report Masvidal’s interest in this short-notice bout with Magny. Shortly thereafter, Masvidal spoke with BJPenn.com’s Jason Kindschy to update on this potential bout, and explain why he’s interested in stepping up.

Tom Taylor - May 1, 2018

Nate Diaz‘s return to the Octagon is one of the most talked about topics in MMA. That said, discussion about the fan favorite’s return have always been mired in the realm of the hypothetical, as he and the UFC can never seem to agree on the pertinent details of his comeback. From the sounds of it, that could change this summer. According to a report from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Diaz and the UFC have recently been in communication surrounding a potential return to action at UFC 227, which is targeted for August 4th in Los Angeles, California. According to Okamoto’s report, the two parties discussed this date as recently as last week.

Tom Taylor - May 1, 2018

This morning, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC is “losing patience” with women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano, as negotiations seemed to have slowed with respect to her first title defense. Montano has now caught wind of Helwani’s report, and she is not happy. Shortly after Helwani’s report, the women’s flyweight champ went off on the veteran reporter, referring to him as a “huge waste of space,” a “douchebag,” and more…

Tom Taylor - May 1, 2018

Contrary to previous rumors, former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and long-time pro wrestling star Brock Lesnar has re-signed with WWE. Apparently, however, his new WWE contract could allow for at least one bout inside the UFC’s Octagon. Should Lesnar return to the perilous Octagon, it could very easily be to a heavyweight title shot — perhaps against the winner of Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier’s UFC 226 heavyweight title super fight.

Tom Taylor - May 1, 2018

If things had gone according to the original plan, Michael Chiesa would have collided with former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis at UFC 223. Regrettably, this plan was foiled when Chiesa sustained several facial lacerations when Conor McGregor infamously threw a dolly through the window of the shuttle bus carrying fighters out of the Barclays Center. The good news is that this fight has been rescheduled. Pettis and Chiesa are now set to meet at UFC 226 this July 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.